Rambo: Last Blood

The _Rambo_ franchise underwent a massive change after the first movie, and that new direction has stuck with the series ever since they put _Rambo_ in the title. But even all the way back in First Blood, John Rambo's actions seemed to have always been fuelled by desperation. In _Last Blood_ however, Rambo's actions are calculated, and personal. It's something I'd never really considered before, but I actually don't like this direction for the character. It's not that it doesn't make sense, because it does, just personally I preferred when Rambo was surviving the bad world that was happening to him, not creating it. 2008's _Rambo_ was over the top and its very existence seemed bizarre, but it also felt like John Rambo "came full circle" as it were, which sort of justified that existence. _Last Blood_ doesn't really feel like it re-opened or closed any circle. It kind of feels like an episode of a long-running show I haven't watched the last 10+ seasons of. Stallone seems to think he'll be getting a _Rambo 6_ where he's on a Rez, if that's the plan, why bother calling this one "_Last Blood_", and if it's not the case, why make this movie that starts and ends like it's supposed to slot in between other pieces of a story we haven't gotten yet? End of the day, _Last Blood_ was okay. A low point for the series, arguably even the lowest, but it was a franchise that has always been at least a little enjoyable, so that's not too harsh a burn. _Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._